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IMDbPro

Alien

  • 1979
  • R
  • 1h 57m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
896K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
263
7
Alien (1979)
A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.
Play trailer2:05
7 Videos
99+ Photos
HorrorSci-Fi

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounter a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission.The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounter a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission.The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounter a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission.

  • Director
    • Ridley Scott
  • Writers
    • Dan O'Bannon
    • Ronald Shusett
  • Stars
    • Sigourney Weaver
    • Tom Skerritt
    • John Hurt
  • See production, box office & company info
    • IMDb RATING
    8.5/10
    896K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    263
    7
    • Director
      • Ridley Scott
    • Writers
      • Dan O'Bannon
      • Ronald Shusett
    • Stars
      • Sigourney Weaver
      • Tom Skerritt
      • John Hurt
    • 1.7KUser reviews
    • 295Critic reviews
    • 89Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Top rated movie #51
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 18 wins & 22 nominations total

    Videos7

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:05
    Watch Theatrical Version
    Alien
    Trailer 1:06
    Watch Alien
    A Guide to the Films of Ridley Scott
    Clip 1:40
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Ridley Scott
    'The Platform' & Future Films From the IMDb Top 250
    Clip 4:04
    Watch 'The Platform' & Future Films From the IMDb Top 250
    How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Clip 3:47
    Watch How "Carnival Row" Gets Lovecraft Right
    Alien | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:17
    Watch Alien | Anniversary Mashup
    How 'Alien' Inspired Ridley Scott on "Raised by Wolves"
    Interview 3:19
    Watch How 'Alien' Inspired Ridley Scott on "Raised by Wolves"

    Photos336

    Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt in Alien (1979)
    Sigourney Weaver and Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979)
    Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt and Ridley Scott in Alien (1979)
    Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Yaphet Kotto, and Harry Dean Stanton in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt and Percy Edwards in Alien (1979)
    Harry Dean Stanton and Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    Veronica Cartwright and Bolaji Badejo in Alien (1979)
    John Hurt in Alien (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sigourney Weaver
    Sigourney Weaver
    • Ripley
    Tom Skerritt
    Tom Skerritt
    • Dallas
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • Kane
    Veronica Cartwright
    Veronica Cartwright
    • Lambert
    Harry Dean Stanton
    Harry Dean Stanton
    • Brett
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Ash
    Yaphet Kotto
    Yaphet Kotto
    • Parker
    Bolaji Badejo
    Bolaji Badejo
    • Alien
    Helen Horton
    Helen Horton
    • Mother
    • (voice)
    Eddie Powell
    Eddie Powell
    • Alien
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ridley Scott
    • Writers
      • Dan O'Bannon(screenplay by) (story by)
      • Ronald Shusett(story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    8.6
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      It was conceptual artist Ron Cobb who came up with the idea that the Alien should bleed acid. This came about when Dan O'Bannon ran into a wall with the screenplay in how to handle the last half of the movie. He needed a good reason for why the crew members don't just shoot the thing and kill it but still not make it an indestructible monster that can't be killed. The acid blood was the idea that solved this problem.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 35 mins) A crewman with a black panel of some kind is visible through the smoke as Ripley runs through the corridors at the end of the film.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Ripley: Final report of the commercial starship Nostromo, third officer reporting. The other members of the crew - Kane, Lambert, Parker, Brett, Ash, and Captain Dallas - are dead. Cargo and ship destroyed. I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.

      [to Jonesy the cat]

      Ripley: Come on, cat.

    • Crazy credits
      The title of the movie is slowly created one line at a time at the top of the screen during the opening credits, starting out with the I, then the slash in A and the backslash in N, and then the vertical lines in L and E (so it looks like / I I I \). After that, the ensuing lines of each letter are added slowly one at a time until the title is fully visible.
    • Alternate versions
      The 2003 DVD release plasters the 1979 version of the 20th Century Fox logo with the 1980's version.
    • Connections
      Edited into Bride of Monster Mania (2000)
    • Soundtracks
      Incidental music from 'Symphony No. 2 ('Romantic')'
      by Howard Hanson
      [Played over end credits]

    User reviews1.7K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Holds up as a classic.
    Alien remains one of the most original, terrifying movies of all time. Compare this with the lame sci fi horrors we get nowadays, 1979, and it still packs a huge punch.

    Fantastically atmospheric, chilling and terrifying even now, the story holds up incredibly well. The special effects were incredible for the time, no wonder the franchise is still in demand, though sadly nowhere near the quality of this one or its amazing successor.

    The music is fantastic, the direction is incredible, and as for the Alien itself, way ahead of its time. Weaver is phenomenal, but arguably she's upstaged by the creature.

    You can't help but remember scenes days after watching it, it definitely has the chill factor.

    A cinematic masterpiece. 10/10
    helpful•118
    9
    • Sleepin_Dragon
    • Jan 16, 2020

    FAQ34

    • Where is the planetoid the Nostromo visits, and does it have a name?
    • How does the spaceship create gravity? The spaceship does not seem to be rotating, although rotation is necessary to create gravity in the space.
    • Why can the alien be alive in the atmosphere in the spaceship, which contains much more oxygen, which should be toxic to the alien, than in the planet the alien resides?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 22, 1979 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Disney+ Hotstar (id)
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alien: The Director's Cut
    • Filming locations
      • Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Brandywine Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $11,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $81,900,459
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,527,881
      • May 28, 1979
    • Gross worldwide
      • $106,285,522
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 57 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

    Related news

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